Dale Sveum totally Rickrolled me. A day after saying he would never (“never”) rest two regulars on the same day against a team in a playoff race, he’s resting three regulars. I guess that’s not two, so he was right. Joe Mather, Josh Vitters (who’s been replaced as a “regular” by Luis Valbuena), and Dave Sappelt get starts today.
I’m not complaining, mind you. Though I’m not sure Mather leading off makes much sense any day of the year.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (51-82) at Washington Nationals (81-52), 12:05 CT on WGN.
Game Thread and Series Preview
The Game Thread lives here. You should participate in the madness. And, of course, for those who aren’t into message board-style game threads, please feel free to use the comments on this post for your in-game commentary/outbursts.
The Series Preview for this series lives here.
Starting Pitchers
Jeff Samardzija (8-12, 4.03 ERA, 3.69 FIP)
versus
Ross Detwiler (8-6, 3.32 ERA, 3.66 FIP)
Washington Nationals Lineup
1. Jayson Werth, RF
2. Bryce Harper, CF
3. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
4. Adam LaRoche, 1B
5. Michael Morse, LF
6. Ian Desmond, SS
7. Danny Espinosa, 2B
8. Kurt Suzuki, C
9. Ross Detwiler, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. Joe Mather, CF
2. Darwin Barney, 2B
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Alfonso Soriano, LF
5. Starlin Castro, SS
6. Welington Castillo, C
7. Josh Vitters, 3B
8. Dave Sappelt, RF
9. Jeff Samardzija, P